


"I see better from a distance..."

by thiswilldrivemecrazy



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Headcanon, Just a bit of fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 19:29:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1110661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thiswilldrivemecrazy/pseuds/thiswilldrivemecrazy





	"I see better from a distance..."

"Are you sure?" 

"Quite sure." 

"I just..." 

"It's ok, Natasha. Plenty of people need glasses." The optometrist smiled reassuringly at her.

"I don't need glasses." 

"Contact lenses are available if glasses are not suitable for your work." 

"I don't think there's a problem."

"You obviously do, otherwise you wouldn't have made an appointment to get it checked." 

Natasha stiffened and had to restrain herself from glaring at the optometrist. The woman was just trying to do her job, after all. Instead, she smiled. “It was actually under instructions from my doctor. I didn’t think there was a problem.”

“You were holding things at arms’ length to read them? Finding yourself avoiding reading things? It’s a perfectly normal thing to have happen, Natasha, and there are many solutions. I can recommend some glasses if you are worried about…”

“Just the prescription will be fine. I’ll have a chat with my doctor about the possibilities.”

“I can advise…”

Natasha forced herself to smile. At least the doctors and other medical staff at SHIELD knew not to patronise her. She would take this back to her doctor and he could tell her what could be done. "I'll come back if glasses are deemed best," she said to mollify the woman a little and left the shop. 

***  
"Something like this isn't going to affect your mission status, you know. It's just a little inconvenient." 

"What if I need to read something while on mission? What if this compromises ..." She sounded a little more worried than she thought she would about the whole situation. After years of perfect vision it was a bit of a shock to discover that there was something wrong with her.

"Agent Romanoff, there is nothing to worry about. We can look at laser surgery options if you want, but it will have to wait at least a year with regular checkups before we can be certain that it's suitable. For now, I'd recommend a pair of glasses for wearing around base and ..." 

"I'm not letting other people know I need glasses." 

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. There are a lot of people on base who wear glasses for reading. Comes from a little too much reading screens in low light." 

"I'm not wearing..." 

"We'll give you some contact lenses, though some people have troubles if they do a lot of distance work." The doctor moves over to a cupboard and takes out a packet of lenses. "Give these a go. If you have problems, my door is always open." 

Natasha nodded. "Thanks, doc." 

***  
She hated to admit it, but the doctor had been right. While she had found the lenses helped her when doing paperwork, and had made reading some of the more hefty reports easier, having the contact lenses made her day to day activities difficult. It was harder to focus on long-distance objects. It hadn't helped when Clint had noticed something was wrong and suggested that she go and talk with a doctor about it. She had snapped at him and he'd left her alone, figuring it was a sore topic. 

Two weeks in, she returned to the doctor with the remaining contact lenses and handed them to him. "They're not working. I can't ..." 

"Trouble focusing on things in the distance now? Headaches...?"

Natasha nodded. "And... I've worn cosmetic lenses before on mission, but these aren't as comfortable." She felt a little uncomfortable admitting it. 

"It's ok. We've had a few other operatives with similar problems. Some of whom you wouldn't expect it to happen at all, given how perfect their distance vision is. Would you be willing to give the glasses a shot now?" 

Natasha had to admit, that was pretty much the politest 'I told you so' she had ever heard.

"Now, we can order lenses made to a better spec than any optometrist, but to be quite honest, our selection is pretty shocking. I'd suggest going into town and finding a set of frames that you like, and we can order them in." 

***  
"Natasha! Welcome back! Changed your mind on getting a pair of glasses?" the optometrist was just as bubbly as she had been the first time. 

Natasha simply nodded, and eyed off the stands of frames lining the store. "Yes. The contact lenses didn't work out."

"That's ok. They're not for everyone, and you don't need to wear lenses all the time, so glasses are a bit more ideal. Now... I would recommend these ones for you, if you're feeling self conscious about wearing them." She picked up a pair of small, rimless glasses, that would be nearly invisible when they were on, with the exception of the shine of the lenses. She handed them to Natasha to try on. 

Natasha didn't mind them, she had to admit, but they seemed so... librarian-y. "Is there anything that doesn't look quite so much like an old lady would wear?" she asked. 

The optometrist laughed. "You'd be surprised how often I hear that. Does anything catch your eye?" 

***  
Natasha was lounging on her bed, re-reading over a report when there was a quick double knock on her door, and it was pushed open before she could ask who it was. There was only one person who entered her room like that, and she scrambled to get her glasses off and hidden before...

"Heyy, Nat. I brought fries and chicken and a movie we can..." He stopped talking when he saw the glasses in her hand. 

"If I'd known that'd shut you up like that, then I would have let you know sooner," she said, putting the glasses back on and glaring at him.

"Glasses?" 

"What?" 

"Glasses." 

"You've seen me in them before..."

"Only on missions. This, this is definitely not a mission." 

"I'm reading a mission report." Even as she said it, she knew it was a weak defense. She took them off again and put them on her bedside table. "So you were saying you brought food and a movie?"

"Why do you have glasses, Nat?" 

"I was getting headaches while reading. The doc suggested I try corrective lenses," she made room for him and the food on the bed. 

"So they're just for reading?" He sat next to her, put the food down and then reached across to the table to pick up the glasses. He slid them on. "How do I look?" 

"Surprisingly intelligent." 

"Hey! I resent that." He peered at the computer screen and frowned when he realised that it made things clearer for him. He hid his surprise, took the glasses off and handed them back to her. "Let's get this thing started. I can't believe you never saw this movie. It's a classic." He put the dvd into her laptop and settled it somewhere they could both see. 

***  
"Glasses?" Clint was a little dumbstruck. "Glasses? You're saying I need glasses? Like glasses glasses?" 

"Saying the word four times doesn't change what I said, Agent Barton. Your distance vision is still unmeasurable, and you haven't reported any problems with it. You haven't been having problems have you?" 

"None at all." 

"Well, this could explain why you have so much trouble with paperwork, Agent Barton, but no-one would think to check."

"Huh?"

"Attention span problems can stem from people not being able to focus to read properly. You're not stupid, you just don't like reading. We'll get some glasses ordered in for you."

"Uh, thanks but..." 

"Just give it a chance."

"That wasn't what I was going to say. I was going to ask you to not tell anyone else." 

***  
Natasha knocked twice on Clint's door and pushed it open with her hip, balancing the pizza and soft drink carefully. She looked around the surprisingly dark room for her partner; he had said he'd be here and walked over to the desk to deposit the food and drink. Clint appeared out of the bathroom, carrying a book and ...

"A book, Clint? And..." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Glasses?" 

"What?" 

"You're wearing glasses." She narrowed her gaze at him. Was he trying to mock her? "Why are you wearing glasses?" 

"Because I'm a classy-ass guy? No? Doesn't fly? Ohh, that pizza smells good."

"Clint." She stopped him from opening the box before he explained his new accessory.

"Doctors orders. Can I have a piece of pizza now?" 

She let him open the box and smiled, shaking her head. She took a piece herself while the box was open, and sat next to him in front of his laptop. "So what are we watching tonight?"


End file.
